Summary

• Engineers are advanced beings who engineer DNA to create life on other planets, resembling humans.
• The black goo desintegrates an Engineer's body to create new life, signifying humanity's origins on Earth.
• Engineers wanted to destroy humanity, potentially seeing them as a threat due to shared DNA and intelligence.

The Engineers in Prometheus clearly have greater significance to the Alien franchise, but they remain pretty mysterious despite their pivotal role in the film. Prometheus was a unique film in the Alien series, considering most of the horror comes from figures that are not the usual Xenomorph monsters. However, the movie clearly plays an important role in expanding the lore of the series, due to the inclusion of the ominous Engineers. But in order to make sense of this lore, it requires careful examination of the Engineers presence in Prometheus, and why they acted as they did.

The Engineers feature prominently in Prometheus, but their first appearance actually extends back to the original movie, when Ellen Ripley and her crew land on LV-426. These ancient beings are intricately linked to both the human race, and the Xenomorphs. While Prometheus does expand its story and reveal how they are linked to both races, the opening scene and the rest of the film is not explicitly clear in revealing these details. Fortunately, there are clear answers about the Engineer's eerily human looks, and what the opening scene in Prometheus was about.

Engineers In The Alien Franchise Explained - Why They Look Human

The Engineers And Humans Share Some Striking Similarities

One of the most unusual and potentially disturbing things about the Engineers is their physical appearance. These creatures are huge, statuesque figures with pale white skin, and no hair on their bodies. However, despite the distinct alienness of their bodies, they are also surprisingly human in their form. Two arms, two legs, a long torso, neck and head. Even their faces are structured in a way that resembles humans in an uncanny way. However, while this all appears very human, it's actually the opposite that is true, with humans resembling the Engineers.

The Engineers are an ancient race of incredibly advanced beings. These creatures have been instrumental in creating societies and establishing life on planets throughout the universe. The reason they are called Engineers in the first place is because they engineer DNA and cells in order to create new life and species on various planets. So, while they appear human, the harrowing truth is that actually, the humans in the Alien universe look like their creators, the Engineers. This connection is both terrifying, and potentially world-changing for the human race, as it exposes the highly unorthodox origin of man.

What Is The Black Goo The Engineer Drinks In Prometheus' Opening Scene?

The Engineers Use Unusual Tools To Create Life

By way of revealing how this kind of process works, Prometheus opens with a scene that is extremely unusual and confuon first watch, but becomes crystal clear on repeated watches. A large Engineer walks to the edge of a cliff, shedding his robe, and opening a small container he has carried with him. Inside, there is a black goo that appears alive and moving. The Engineer then drinks this goo, which quickly infects and spreads through his body. They then collapse to the ground, as their DNA is literally destroyed, and then recombined in new formations.

This self-destructive act appears bizarre and unusual, but the Engineer was actually creating new life. The black goo is a kind of organic building block that, when ingested, alters and reshapes the DNA inside the Engineer. His body disintegrates and appears to become particles. However, this is entirely intentional. By breaking down the Engineer's DNA, their body then becomes the means of creating new life, with their own substance forming the building blocks of an entirely new species. However, this was not typical for Engineers, and made the deceased Engineer an outcast among his own people.

Does Prometheus' Opening Scene Take Place On Earth?

The Setting Appears Alien, But It's Actually Much Closer

While the planet that this Engineer sacrifices himself on appears alien and unwelcoming, the truth is that this is an early version of the Earth, and Prometheus' opening scene is depicting the origin of man. Apparently, it may not have been common for the Engineers to sacrifice themselves while creating new life, and granting humans life from the body of a fallen Engineer was not seen as a positive act by the rest of the species. So, the Engineer who dies at the start of Prometheus is acting alone, and separated from the rest of his kind.

This entire scene takes place on an early version of Earth, before life began to pop up across the planet. It also appears that the sacrifice of this Engineer may have been a contributing factor in creating all forms of life, as his body broke down to become single celled organisms and then evolved over the coming millions and billions of years. As a result, the harsh landscape was transformed from an inhospitable wasteland, to a green, thriving planet teeming with life that exists much later. And all of this came from a single alien, drinking some black goo.

These creatures have been instrumental in creating societies and establishing life on planets throughout the universe.

Why The Engineers Wanted To Destroy Humanity

The Engineers Have No Great Love For Humans

However, while the variety and beauty of Earth is clear to the human race, it appears that the rest of the Engineers had a different opinion about humanity. Prometheus sees the Engineers traveling back toward Earth, armed with the creatures that would become Xenomorphs, as a means of attacking and wiping out life on Earth. It isn't explicitly stated why they wanted to destroy the Earth, only that that was their intention in traveling back there before their plans were thwarted by Shaw and her crew. But that doesn't mean it is not worth speculating about.

It is possible that the Engineers viewed humans as an abomination. Since they were born from the DNA of an Engineer, they had almost identical DNA, which resulted in their similar appearance. While this connection potentially makes humans more intelligent and capable of creativity, it still appears the Engineers are more advanced. As a result, they could have seen the humans as a failed experiment. On the other hand, perhaps the humans presented too much of a threat because of their shared DNA and potential. In either case, the connection to Engineers in Prometheus makes for an interesting history in the Alien universe.